Bear-ly A Hero (Bear Claw Security 2) Read Online Free Page A

quickly.
    He frowned at it and then shook his head. “I don’t get why women starve themselves.”
    “Because society is hateful to us if we don’t,” she snapped, not feeling it was really his place to comment. He wasn’t supposed to be here anyway.
    Well, it was really all her fault. She had invited him, insisted he be the one to take her case. She would just have to correct that.
    “Society is stupid,” he said, wiping his mouth.
    She was surprised by the amount of food he’d polished off as he stood, brushing his hands off on a napkin. He stretched and then let out a sigh. Then he turned to her with his typical stare. Vaguely bored, vaguely impatient. He folded his arms.
    “So you want to go back and talk to Bronson, then?” he asked.
    “Yes,” she said, bracing herself for his disapproval.
    “All right. I’ll take you over there.”
    She blinked in surprise as she slid her arms into her jacket. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean we’ll go together. So you’re safe.”
    “But we haven’t even talked about what’s after me,” she said. “How do you even know I’m unsafe at all?”
    “You attacked me with an umbrella,” he said. “You’re obviously scared of something. Or someone.” He opened her front door and let her walk out under his arm, which was easy since it seemed he was twice her size.
    She strode down her front walk, trying to ignore the pounding of his footsteps after her.
    She wondered what kind of car a man like this drove and stopped when she saw a gigantic black truck parked a couple houses down. She sighed.
    Of course.
    “What?” he asked.
    “That yours?” she asked, pointing at it as they headed in that direction.
    “Nah,” he said, scanning the street. He pointed at a car just across from them. A pink convertible. “It’s that one.”
    “Seriously?” Her jaw dropped, and he barked out a laugh.
    “No, of course not seriously. Geez, you’re easy,” he said, walking over to his truck and hitting a button on his remote that unlocked it.
    She opened the door herself and looked up at the high cab. The douche didn’t even have one of those railings that made it easy to step in. She was far from in shape. Her work made that tough. That and the fact that she spent the rest of the time she had on her hobby, which didn’t exactly involve a lot of movement.
    She struggled for a moment and then heard Limes let out a sigh of disapproval and walk over. She felt a rough hand on her backside and gasped as she was pushed easily up into the cab.
    “Hey! You—”
    “Calm down, princess,” Limes said. “I just pushed whatever needed pushing.”
    “Well, from now on, you keep your hands off me,” she said.
    “Fine by me,” he said. He gave her a mean grin. “I’ll get you a stepstool next time.”
    “I don’t need a stool,” she said. “Because I won’t be working with you.”
    “We’ll see about that,” he said.
    “Hmph,” she said, buckling in and leaning against the window. “What is it about shifter men and not being able to keep their hands to themselves?”
    He’d been fiddling with the radio, but he stopped and looked over at her, an unreadable expression on his usually harsh face. She almost thought he was going to ask her what she meant, but then he just sighed and started up the truck, which rumbled to life.
    So much engine. Was that really necessary?
    Limes pulled out sunglasses and put them on as they turned out onto the road and into the early morning light.
    Damn, it was bright this morning. She snuck a peek at his eye now that there was better lighting. She’d been almost afraid to look earlier.
    The bruise was much fainter, which explained why it hadn’t been obvious. But it was still there.
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “Your friends are gonna kill me for doing that to you, huh?”
    “No,” Limes said. “Bronson and Cage would never hit a girl.”
    She shook her head. “No, I mean figuratively. They’ll be mad.”
    “They’ll say I